Nickenich, Germany - (January 13th, 2026) -- Monkeybread Software today is pleased to announce MBS FileMaker Plugin 16.0 for Claris FileMaker for macOS, iOS, Linux and Windows, the latest update to their product that is easily the most powerful plugin currently available for Claris FileMaker produce line. As the leading database management solution for Windows, macOS, iOS and the web, the Claris FileMaker Pro Integrated Development Environment supports a plugin architecture that can easily extend the feature set of the application. MBS FileMaker Plugin 16.0 has been updated and now includes over 7800 different functions, and the versatile plugin has gained more new functions:
Our plugin adds a Search button to the Script Workspace on both macOS and Windows. When clicked, it scans all scripts and opens a search window where you can enter keywords. The results show every location where the text is found. You can enable or disable this button using the SyntaxColoring.ScriptSearchButton.SetEnabled function.
On macOS and iOS, we leverage Apple’s Translation framework to perform fully local, on-device translations. Users simply download the required languages in System Settings. Our Translation functions can then start a session with a selected language pair and perform translations directly within your solution.
Our XL functions now support an additional parameter for passing a password when opening encrypted Excel files. LibXL 5.0.1 supports multiple hashing and encryption algorithms.
The new Hash.CRC16 function provides support for various 16-bit checksum formats. Hotkeys can now be restricted to FileMaker windows only. For JSON output, you can customize which characters are used for pretty formatting.
The Files.GetNodeID function is now available on all platforms and allows you to query a file’s node ID. Markdown text can be syntax-highlighted using the MarkDown.Colorize function. You can also generate multiple linked barcodes using the StructuredAppend parameter and export them as images.
We improved the field picker shortcut and the format button to support HTML in addition to XML and JSON. The web viewer used by the Overlay.AddWebViewer function now supports fmp: URLs. CURL debugging can display SFTP command paths and now uses Apple’s SecTrust framework for certificate verification, replacing the previous UseSystemCertificates option.
Finally we updated the CURL library to version 8.18.0, DynaPDF to 4.0.102.302, GraphicsMagick to 1.3.46, lcms2 to 2.18, mongo-c-driver to 2.2.0, SQLAPI to 5.4.1, LibXL to 5.0.1 and Xcode to version 26.1.1.
See release notes for a complete list of changes. Download here
Nickenich, Germany - (January 13th, 2026) -- Monkeybread Software today is pleased to announce MBS Xojo Plugins 26.0 for macOS, Linux and Windows, the latest update to their product that is easily the most powerful plugin collection currently available for Xojo. MBS Xojo Plugins have been updated and now includes over 3000 classes and 83,000 documented features, and the versatile plugins have gained more new functions:
On macOS and iOS, you can use Apple’s Translation framework to perform fully local, on-device translations. Users must download the required languages in System Settings. Our Translation classes can then start a session with a selected language pair and perform translations directly within your Xojo applications.
We updated the Scintilla control to the current upstream library. This improves compatibility with macOS Tahoe and adds many new properties, constants, and methods.
The CADisplayLinkMBS class provides a timer object that allows your application to synchronize drawing operations with the display’s refresh rate. Our StoreKit2MBS module can now initiate refunds for in-app purchases. Use the RequestAgeRange method to ask for the user’s age range and conditionally enable adult-only functionality.
We added two new Saxon examples:
- Use XSLT transformations to visualize electronic invoices (ZUGFeRD, Factur-X, XRechnung, or EN 16931-1:2017).
- Use Saxon classes to validate the XML structure of invoices and apply business rules to verify their content.
The XLBookMBS class now includes a SetPassword method, allowing you to open encrypted Excel workbooks by providing a password. LibXL 5.0.1 supports multiple hashing and encryption algorithms.
The JSONMBS class gained new properties to control the characters used for formatted JSON output, including configurable indentation. You can also generate multiple linked barcodes using the StructuredAppend parameter and export them as images.
We reduced the amount of debug information included in the libraries and merged several components. This reduces the total download size by more than 300 MB.
CURL can now display SFTP command paths in debug logging and uses Apple’s SecTrust framework to verify certificates. This replaces the older UseSystemCertificates method.
For NSURLRequestMBS and related classes, we added new properties to control cellular access, ultra-constrained networks, expensive networks, and constrained connections. This allows macOS and iOS to make better decisions about whether your application may use satellite or mobile data connections.
Finally we update the CURL library to version 8.18.0, DynaPDF to 4.0.102.302, GraphicsMagick to 1.3.46, lcms2 to 2.18, LibXL to 5.0.1, mongo-c-driver to 2.2.0, Scintilla to 5.5.8, SQLAPI to 5.4.1, Xcode to 26.1.1 and the Xojo SDK to version 2025r3.
See release notes for a complete list of changes.Download here
13. Januar 2026 - Monkeybread Software veröffentlicht heute das MBS FileMaker Plugin für Claris FileMaker in Version 16.0, mit inzwischen über 7800 Funktionen eines der größten FileMaker Plugins überhaupt. Hier einige der Neuerungen:
Unser Plugin fügt im Skriptarbeitsbereich unter macOS und Windows eine Such-Schaltfläche hinzu. Beim Anklicken werden alle Skripte eingelesen und ein Suchfenster geöffnet, in dem Sie Suchbegriffe eingeben können. Die Ergebnisse zeigen alle Fundstellen im Skript. Die Schaltfläche kann mit der Funktion SyntaxColoring.ScriptSearchButton.SetEnabled ein- oder ausgeschaltet werden.
Unter macOS und iOS nutzen wir das Translation-Framework von Apple, um vollständig lokale Übersetzungen direkt auf dem Gerät durchzuführen. Der Benutzer muss die gewünschten Sprachen in den Systemeinstellungen herunterladen. Anschließend können unsere Übersetzungsfunktionen eine Sitzung mit einem Sprachpaar starten und Übersetzungen direkt innerhalb Ihrer Lösung durchführen.
Unsere XL-Funktionen unterstützen nun zusätzliche Parameter zur Übergabe eines Passworts beim Öffnen verschlüsselter Excel-Dateien. LibXL 5.0.1 unterstützt mehrere Hash- und Verschlüsselungsalgorithmen.
Die neue Funktion Hash.CRC16 unterstützt verschiedene 16-Bit-Prüfsummen. Hotkeys können jetzt auf FileMaker-Fenster beschränkt werden. Für JSON-Ausgaben lässt sich festlegen, welche Zeichen für eine ansprechende Formatierung verwendet werden.
Die Funktion Files.GetNodeID steht nun auf allen Plattformen zur Verfügung und ermöglicht das Abfragen der Node-ID einer Datei. Markdown kann mit der Funktion MarkDown.Colorize farblich hervorgehoben werden. Zudem lassen sich mehrere verknüpfte Barcodes mithilfe des Parameters StructuredAppend erzeugen und als Bilder ausgeben.
Wir haben das Feld-Auswahlkürzel sowie die Format-Schaltfläche verbessert, sodass nun auch HTML neben XML und JSON unterstützt wird. Der von der Funktion Overlay.AddWebViewer verwendete Webviewer unterstützt jetzt fmp:-URLs. CURL kann im Debug-Logging die Pfade von SFTP-Befehlen anzeigen und verwendet nun Apples SecTrust zur Zertifikatsprüfung. Dies ersetzt die bisherige Option UseSystemCertificates.
Schließlich haben wir die CURL-Bibliothek auf Version 8.18.0, DynaPDF auf 4.0.102.302, GraphicsMagick auf 1.3.46, lcms2 auf 2.18, mongo-c-driver auf 2.2.0, SQLAPI auf 5.4.1, LibXL auf 5.0.1 und Xcode auf Version 26.1.1 aktualisiert.
Alle Änderungen in den Release Notes.Download hier
Recently LibXL 5.0 was released and we include this update in our upcoming MBS Plugins 16.0 for FileMaker and 26.0 for Xojo.
Version 5.0.1 (2025-12-22)
- added the support of one more encryption algorithm
(LibXL supports ECMA-376 standard and agile encryptions with SHA-1 and SHA-512 hashing algorithms)
- added password verifications with the error message "incorrect password"
- added the Book::loadInfoRaw() for loading only information about sheets from the workbook in memory buffer
- fixed an issue with decrypting password protected xlsx files on Linux and Mac
Version 5.0.0 (2025-12-05)
- added the support of password protected xlsx files (only loading)
- fixed a performance issue with reading cells from some large non-typical xlsx files that don't use "r" attributes in rows
- fixed issues with reading and writing code units above U+FFFF
- fixed an issue with Valgrind warning "Invalid read of size 1"
- fixed an issue with copying sheets with space characters in the name (xlsx)
- fixed issues with using LET, LAMBDA, BYROW and BYCOL functions (xlsx)
- fixed issues with reading some dates
New methods:
The new password feature was often requested and we add the matching password parameters to our Load functions, so you can pass it to the plugin.
LibXL is a powerful library to create, read, edit and write Excel documents in older and newer Excel file formats and without the need to install Microsoft Excel. It allows the developer to automate a lot of tasks related to Excel spreadsheets within your solution or application.
Learn more on our LibXL for FileMaker and LibXL for Xojo pages.
When you receive an electronic invoice in the formats ZUGFeRD, Factur-X, X-Rechnung or UBL, you may need to validate the XML file in your Xojo application. You certainly don't want a surprise later when you get a tax audit.
You can use our DynaPDF plugin functions to extract the XML from the ZUGFeRD invoice. Once you have the XML, you can do some automated validation. We leverage the XSL and XSD files coming with the ZUGFeRD 2.3 download. They provide a way to check both the structure with the XSD file as well as the content with the XSL file. The XSL file is based on the schematron file with all the business rules, but converted to a stylesheet for using it with the XSLT function in SaxonMBS module. While the schema check makes sure you have the right nodes in the right places, the business rules define what can go in a field and how fields are related.
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New in this prerelease of the 25.6 plugins:
- Updated CURL library to version 8.18.0.
- Updated Xojo SDK to version 2025r3.
- Fixed a crash with WindowsMidiInputMBS and WindowsMidiOutputMBS events in 64-bit applications.
- Fixed a possible crash in the DDEMBS class with events passing back pointers.
New functions in documentation
Download Links: Download Mac dmg or Download Windows/Linux zip
Download: monkeybreadsoftware.de/xojo/download/plugin/Prerelease/.
Or ask us to be added to our shared DropBox folder.
You can subscribe to our Xojo mailing list to get notified for new pre-release and release versions.
New in this prerelease of version 16.0 of the
MBS FileMaker Plugin:
- Updated CURL library to version 8.18.0.
- Improved script search for Windows when XML data was too big on Windows.
- Fixed script search to work for 175% scaling on Windows.
- Improved script search to expand a group to find a script (one level) on macOS.
- Improved syntax coloring to be a bit more resilient against you closing the window while an asynchronous operation still runs.
- Fixed a possible crash with option clicking in script workspace.
New functions in documentation
Download Links: Download Mac dmg or Download Windows/Linux zip
Downloads at monkeybreadsoftware.com/filemaker/files/Prerelease/:
You can subscribe to our FileMaker mailing list to get notified for new pre-release and release versions.
Since macOS 26 (and iOS 26) you can use the Translate framework to perform on-device translation services. You can use this with the upcoming MBS FileMaker Plugin 16.0, currently in beta test. We also back ported it to macOS 15 and iOS 18 for most of the functionality.
Available?
First you may check whether the translation services are available. This basically checks only for whether you have macOS or iOS.
If [
MBS( "
Translation.Available" ) = 1 ]
Show Custom Dialog [ "Translation is available" ]
Else
Show Custom Dialog [ "Translation is not available" ]
End If
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When you receive an electronic invoice in the formats ZUGFeRD, Factur-X, X-Rechnung or UBL, you may need to visualize the XML file in your Xojo application. You can use our DynaPDF classes to extract the XML from the ZUGFeRD invoice. Once you have the XML for one of the formats UBL or Cross Industry Invoice, you may want to convert it to HTML and show it in a HTMLviewer.
We leverage the XRechnung Visualization Transformators project from GitHub. This project has a couple of XML stylesheets to convert our invoices to HTML. For this they first convert the UBL or CII XML to an intermediate XML and finally convert that to XML with a second transformation. There is also an alternative output to produce a XML for Apache FOP to make it a PDF file.
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There is a new feature in development for MBS Plugin and you can see it 16.0pr6 (see announcement here). We add the possibility to search in all scripts in the script workspace and find things.
For this we add a new search button (magnifier glass) to the toolbar on macOS on the right:
As well as on Windows with a regular button:
We even got a fancy tooltip to explain the button.
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The January/February (24.1) issue of
xDev Magazine is now available. Here's a quick preview of what's inside:
AI Whispering by Michelle Parker
Just a few months ago it was impossible to use AI to create a Xojo project from start to finish, but things are changing fast. Read about how Michelle used Cursor AI to create her Xojo app. She calls it AI whispering because AI is a teammate she consults with.
A Raspberry Pi Open Text File Dialog by Eugene Dakin
There are many features of Raspberry Pi that can’t be obtained via built-in methods. In today’s example, Eugene uses declares to create an open text file dialog.
Shortcuts AI by Marc Zeedar
Did you know Apple offers AI models in MacOS 26 that you can use in your apps for free? You could use declares or a plugin to access these, but Marc shows how to access them in Xojo via Shortcuts! Read about how to offer proofreading, image analysis, and more!
Token-Oriented Object Notation (TOON) by Tim Dietrich
You may be familiar with using JSON to send data to AI processing. But JSON is a human-oriented protocol. Tim explains how TOON is designed for AI and is far more efficient, using fewer tokens for processing. TOON can save you money!
Plus: Xojo 2025r3, XojoScripts, watermarking PDFs, and more!
New in this prerelease of version 16.0 of the
MBS FileMaker Plugin:
- Improved script search with a new look.
- Improved script search to read all scripts and not miss a few.
- Improved performance for script search.
- Improved opening scripts on macOS to scroll script list.
- Fixed a crash with XML conversion for clipboard in older FileMaker Pro.
- Fixed an incompatibility in Swift, which prevented the plugin from loading in older FileMaker versions.
New functions in documentation
Download Links: Download Mac dmg or Download Windows/Linux zip
Downloads at monkeybreadsoftware.com/filemaker/files/Prerelease/:
You can subscribe to our FileMaker mailing list to get notified for new pre-release and release versions.
For the old year, we can check our statistics on the FileMaker Servers. The share of Linux continues to raise. In August 2023 Linux overtook Windows, then in July 2024 the Linux share crossed to over 50%. Now we are at about 80%.
If we continue with that adoption, I'd expect Linux to be at 90% end of 2026 and Claris can retired the MacOS and Windows servers in the next years. You all vote withy your wallet, so no complains please. Of course this assumes that Claris sees similar statistics.
Here is a graphics for the OS share:
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We have been using GraphicsMagick functions for years to draw some text, but we can do the same in DynaPDF. We draw text in a new PDF document and then render it as image without ever saving the PDF document. We can even use transparency and render the PDF with alpha channel and save as PNG image.
Our first example places some text on the PDF page using the DynaPDF.WriteStyledTextEx function. This function can take text with styles from a field in FileMaker (or variable) and draw it into the PDF. The styles are converted for DyynaPDF's format commands. The text is wrapped to the desired width of 300 points and we use justify for alignment.
After the text is drawn, we use DynaPDF.GetLastTextPosY to query how big the text block is. Passing -1 as height for the text box allows us to have a variable height. This provides you the information on where to place another text or where to draw additional text. In our example we use the text position and the page height to calculate a new media box. This limits the visible part of the page to only the size of our text box.
Then we close the page and render the 1st page of the PDF document as an image. We pass the page number and the request resolution with 150 dpi. The default format is a RGB image stored as JPEG. In the script you can decide whether you like to save as PDF or render the image.
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Over the last years we had various instructions to install MBS Plugin on a FileMaker Server. Today we have a new way: an installation script wininstall.ps1 (and wininstall.bat).
This script downloads the MBS Plugin and install it. We put a lot of effort into making this secure and verify that the plugin is correct one. Especially we try to
- avoid installing the Windows plugin on Linux/macOS by accident,
- avoid installing the wrong plugin if we mixed them up server side,
- avoid installing a half downloaded plugin or an error page.
This script is to help Windows administrators and we may improve it based on your feedback.
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New in this prerelease of the 25.6 plugins:
- Improved SaxonMBS classes to add slash to CWD path if needed.
- Added StructuredAppend property for BarcodeGeneratorMBS class and ZintStructuredAppendMBS class for the JSON used with Barcode.GenerateJSON to create barcodes with sequence information.
- Updated SQLAPI to version 5.4.1.
- Deprecated OptionKRBLevel property in CURLSMBS class as CURL library deprecated that option.
- Enabled Apple SecTrust for CURL to validate SSL certificates on macOS and iOS. Unless you opt-out of SSL validation checks with OptionSSLVerifyHost and OptionSSLVerifyPeer properties.
- Updated CURL library to version 8.18.0rc3.
- Fixed Available function in FoundationModelsMBS to not raise an exception if raised on an unsupported platform. Now returns false.
New functions in documentation
Download Links: Download Mac dmg or Download Windows/Linux zip
Download: monkeybreadsoftware.de/xojo/download/plugin/Prerelease/.
Or ask us to be added to our shared DropBox folder.
You can subscribe to our Xojo mailing list to get notified for new pre-release and release versions.
New in this prerelease of version 16.0 of the
MBS FileMaker Plugin:
New functions in documentation
Download Links: Download Mac dmg or Download Windows/Linux zip
Downloads at monkeybreadsoftware.com/filemaker/files/Prerelease/:
You can subscribe to our FileMaker mailing list to get notified for new pre-release and release versions.
We wish you a happy new year 2026. See you at the next conferences in summer.
And in September, the MBS Plugin for FileMaker will turn 20, before in December our Xojo Plugins turn 25 years old. What a run!
Today I like to show you how much we appreciate the solar panels on our roof.
In the year 2025 we produced about 13.8 MWh ourselves. From that we directly used 2.5 MWh ourselves. At 32 Cent/kWh with our clean energy contract in Germany that saved 811€. We loaded 2.7 MWh to the battery and returned 2.5 MWh back saving another 796€. The difference is the power used by the system itself and some power lost as heat. We sold about 8.5 MWh to the power grid and purchased 846 kWh. In total we used 38% ourselves and covered 86% of our power needs ourselves.
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